


Just Like Me

by idrilhadhafang



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alderaan, Canon Compliant, Character Study, Childhood Friends, Fantastic Racism, Fluff and Angst, Innocent Inaccurate, M/M, Mentions of genocide, Parents As People, Planet Destruction, Speciesism, That's Not How The Force Works
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-10
Updated: 2020-07-29
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:27:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,314
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25192393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/idrilhadhafang/pseuds/idrilhadhafang
Summary: The similarities (and points where they diverge) between Poe Dameron and Ben Solo/Kylo Ren.
Relationships: Poe Dameron/Ben Solo, Poe Dameron/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Kudos: 2
Collections: Darkpilot Creator Breakdown, The Darkpilot Library





	1. Families: Similarities

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I own nothing.

“Mommy? Daddy?”

Ben is four years old, old enough to actually form words as opposed to just babbling, and he has questions. 

”Why did you fight against the Empire?”

His parents look like they don’t know how to answer that question. Then Leia says, “For me, Mrs. Bey’s reasons and mine definitely overlap. There was suffering in the galaxy. Unfairness. The big kind, the sort where aliens were discriminated against, people who spoke up were punished — it was basically a prison for everyone, and it’s hard to be happy when you’re not free. I also took after your grandma. Your foster grandparents were actually friends with your grandma.”

”Really?” Ben says. “Cool!”

Leia smiles. “But yes, I went into politics at fourteen. As a Senator. When I was nineteen...my planet went away, and it only spurred me on. Not only out of revenge, but for the sake of all life."

”Went away?”

”It was destroyed.”

”Can’t it be fixed?”

Leia falters. “No, Ben. The Death Star’s lasers...with Jedha, it only took out a piece of the planet, but with Alderaan, I think they wanted an entire culture erased.” A beat. “I think they wanted to send a message.”

”But that isn’t fair!”

”It wasn’t,” Han says. “We don’t live in a fair galaxy.” A beat. “I was part of the Academy myself. Not for any political reasons — your aunt Qi’ra was in trouble and I wanted to get her out. And then, among other things, I saw how they treated your uncle Chewie.”

Ben freezes in horror as Han explains. “I didn’t know people did that to Wookiees!” he says. 

”They did a lot of awful stuff. You know what racism is, don’t you?”

” ‘Course it is," Ben says. “It’s like when you call people mean names for what species they are. Like that Ithorian kid another kid called a ‘goggle-eyed freak‘. I punched the kid who said it in the face.”

”It can be as...everyday as that,” Han says. “It can get more large scale too. Like slavery, genocide...that’s when you kill another species for being different.”

”So they hate another species so much they want them to go away?”

”Basically.”

”The Empire did that?”

Han nods. 

”But that’s not fair!”

”Exactly,” Han says. “That’s why we fought. That’s why other people did. Because there was a problem that needed to be fixed.”

Ben nods. 

***

Poe already knows why Mama and Papa fought. People were suffering. They couldn’t just stand idly by. Mama doesn’t like talking about it, but Papa shares stories when Poe’s up for them. Daring space battles, and a devoted couple who loved each other. And a celebration. On Endor. Where the Empire was defeated and all was well. 

Poe acts out space battles with his toy X-wings, A-wings and more. Sometimes Ben joins him. Sometimes his parents join him, or Uncle Lulo, or Grandpa. Sometimes all of them join. 

Poe wants to be a hero someday. He hopes he can be as good as Mama and Papa ever were. 

***

”Your parents fought with the Rebels too?”

Ben’s coloring with Poe even as the two of them talk. The grown-ups are having caffa, talking about things that Ben’s too little to understand, and Ben’s doing scribbly drawings of space battles and whatnot. 

”Yeah,” Poe says. “Mama doesn’t like to talk about it much, though.”

Ben knows why, of course. Because Mrs. Bey’s too nice and humble. Poe’s lucky to have such a kind, beautiful mama who loves him so much. 

So is Ben. He knows others aren’t as lucky. 

"I want to be a hero like Mommy and Daddy one day!” Ben says. “Maybe we can both be heroes.”

”I like that!” Poe says, and there’s something about that that makes Ben feel floaty and happy. For the most part, it seems to be around Poe very often. 

He draws Poe in a pilot suit, himself in a Jedi robe. They’re fighting off Sith — new villains. 

It’s worth seeing the smile on Poe’s face. 


	2. Families: Differences

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where Ben and Poe’s families differ.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Even though Ben’s upstairs, as Mommy ordered him to be, he can still hear the sounds of arguing going on downstairs. Something about Daddy leaving. “...it’s like you can’t just be happy here!” Mommy’s saying. “Maybe you don’t have to earn a ton of credits racing to impress me!”

Ben wishes that Daddy would realize that too. That Ben and Mommy love him. That they accept him. Daddy's going on about how he’s doing this for Ben and Mommy, and Ben clutches his tooka doll tighter. 

It’s times like these he wishes that he had a Force Bond with Poe. That way, he can connect with Poe, not be alone with his tooka doll hearing his father’s old monsters rampaging downstairs. 

Selfish, the Voice rumbles, and Ben doesn’t know if he agrees with the Voice — he just wants his parents to stop arguing. 

***

The difference between Ben’s family and Poe’s is striking. His parents are like electricity; get too close when it’s volatile and you get shocked. Poe’s parents are calm, comforting; their banter is light and easy, sweet. Ben doesn’t get the impression that there are any hurt feelings between them. It’s okay. 

Poe’s lucky, Ben thinks. He just wishes, more than anything, that Daddy wouldn’t fight with Mommy, that they were both happy. 

Ben wants his friends and family happy, after all. 


	3. Force Sensitivity: Differences

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The differences in their Force abilities are called into play.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I own nothing.

“I wish I could be a Jedi, like you.”

Ben actually is surprised when Poe says it. They’re both children at the time, and if anything, Ben wishes he was more like Poe. There’s something about him where he just seems so confident and happy, like the Light Side of the Force is emanating from him even though he’s not Force Sensitive. Maybe living next to a Force Sensitive tree does that, Ben wonders. 

”Really?” Ben says. “You want to...be like me?”

”Yeah!” Poe says. “I mean, you’re powerful, you’re strong — you can do anything!”

”I wish,” Ben says. 

A furrow comes between Poe’s brown eyes. Then, “Nobody better be telling you that or I’ll show ‘em!”

”It’s...” How does Ben explain that it’s like having the boogeyman in his head? It’s not a tangible monster. It’s not a monster with sharp teeth and red eyes. It’s just a voice. Telling him that his parents think he’s replaceable. 

”Hey,” Poe says. “You’re my best friend. You’re cool and powerful and nice. I wish I could be you.”

Ben can sense Poe’s sincerity. Of course, in a way, he doesn’t need to sense it; Poe’s as guileless as they come. He wishes the Force wasn’t unfair, that Poe could be a Jedi like him. 

An idea occurs to him. “I can show you!”

”How?”

”Maybe I can show you what I see. Like...if you let me in to your head.”

Ben’s never really done it on purpose before. And he’s afraid; after all, Mommy talked about ”invasion of privacy” and all that stuff and what if he is invading Poe’s privacy? He doesn’t want to hurt Poe. He wants to make his friend happy. 

Still, Poe seems to trust him. “Yeah! Okay!”

Ben reaches out, trying to project the galaxy as he sees it. The humming of life, how he sees Poe in the Force. Poe’s radiant, Ben can’t help but think. Incredibly so. 

In the Force, he’s like a sun. 

It takes a while before Ben withdraws, and Poe seems amazed. Then, “You...see me like that?”

”Of course I do!” Ben doesn’t know if there’s a word for feeling like Poe’s perfect, but he feels that feeling nonetheless. He wishes it had a name. “You’re great!”

Silence. 

”Maybe when we get older,” Ben chirps, “We can fight together. You can be my partner — and it won’t matter who has the Force, because we’ll both be awesome!”

It’s worth it, Ben thinks, to see Poe’s grin. 


End file.
